Digital library is a brand-new science and technology as well as a brand-new social undertaking. In short, the digital library is a digital information resource with various media contents, which can provide users with a convenient, fast and high-level information service mechanism.
Digital library is not a library entity: it corresponds to the real social activities of various public information management and dissemination, which is manifested in various new information resource organizations and information dissemination services. It refers to the resource organization mode of the library. With the help of high-tech such as computer network communication, aiming at the universal acquisition of human knowledge, it creatively uses knowledge classification and accurate retrieval methods to sort information effectively, so that people's access to information consumption is not limited by space or time to a great extent.
Conceptually speaking, "digital library" can be understood as two categories: digital library and digital library system, involving two work contents:
One is to convert paper books into electronic digital books;
The second is the storage, exchange and circulation of e-books.
Many international organizations have contributed to this, and many domestic units have also actively participated in the construction of digital libraries.
Create background
With the development of information technology, the amount of information that needs to be stored and disseminated is increasing, and the types and forms of information are becoming more and more abundant. Obviously, the traditional library mechanism can't meet these needs. Therefore, people put forward the concept of digital library. Digital library is an electronic information warehouse, which can store a large number of various forms of information. Users can easily access it through the network to obtain this information, and its information storage and user access are not limited by geographical areas.
Digital library is the development of traditional library in the information age. It not only includes the functions of traditional libraries and provides corresponding services for the public, but also integrates some functions of other information resources (such as museums and archives) to provide comprehensive public information access services. It can be said that the digital library will become the public information center and hub of the future society. Informatization, networking and digitalization, the fundamental point of this series of noun symbols lies in the digitalization of information; Similarly, no matter what terminology is used in electronic libraries, virtual libraries and digital libraries, digitalization is also the development direction of libraries.
Main advantages
(1) The information storage space is small and not easy to be damaged.
Digital library stores information in digital form, usually in computer CD or hard disk, which occupies a smaller area than paper materials in the past. Moreover, in the past, a big problem in library management was that the materials would be worn out after repeated access, and some originally precious materials were difficult for ordinary readers to see. Digital libraries avoid this problem.
(2) Information retrieval is convenient.
The digital library is equipped with a computer consulting system, and readers can get a lot of relevant information by searching for some keywords. In the past, the access to books and materials needed to go through many processes, such as searching, looking for stacks, looking for books by search number and so on. It is both troublesome and inconvenient.
(3) Remote and fast information transmission
The construction of libraries is limited. The traditional library has a fixed location, and readers often spend a lot of time on the way to the library. Digital library can use the Internet to transmit information quickly. Readers only need to log on to the website and click the mouse to see the information they want to consult in a few seconds, even though it is thousands of miles away from Qian Shan, where the library is located. This convenience is unmatched by previous libraries.
(4) The same information can be used by many people simultaneously.
As we all know, a book can only be lent to one person at a time. In the digital library, we can break through this restriction and lend a book to many people at the same time through the server, which greatly improves the utilization efficiency of information.
main problem
(1) waste of resources
Since the concept of digital library was put forward, many university libraries have devoted themselves to the construction of digital libraries. In just a few years, due to the lack of unified planning and coordination, the standards of digital libraries are different, and the relevant legislation has not been formulated and implemented, so it is difficult to find a balance between the interests of all units. At the same time, some units unilaterally pursue the number of digital resources with the idea of "quick success and instant benefit". Some units ignore the characteristics of their own collections and the actual situation of school teaching, resulting in the blind construction of digital libraries in many universities in China, and the phenomenon of less cooperative construction and decentralized management is widespread. There are great differences between digital libraries in user retrieval interface, retrieval language and management system. The databases of different libraries are incompatible with each other, and it is difficult for each system to interoperate. A lot of financial resources, manpower and material resources are wasted on low-level redundant construction.
(2) Information copyright.
With the rapid development of computer technology, automation technology and network technology, it is easier to convert the format of literature resources, copy, download and pirate digital works, and the intellectual property protection of digital works is more complicated and prominent than traditional paper documents. According to the copyright law, uploading a work must obtain the consent of the copyright owner. However, it is difficult for a digital library with a huge resource pool to obtain the authorization of every copyright owner. In the relevant legislation of digital library, those outdated laws and regulations that are inconsistent with its own construction and development characteristics can no longer be applied.
(3) the problem of construction funds
The construction of digital library is a huge, systematic and long-term project. The purchase of hardware equipment and software resources, network wiring engineering, personnel training, digital resource updating, digital conversion of library documents, etc. All need sufficient funds as the backing, but the lack of funds is a long-standing problem that puzzles the development of university libraries. There are special funds for the construction and development of digital libraries in key universities that entered the "2 1 1 project", while the funds of ordinary university libraries are single, mainly relying on school funds. In recent years, the prices of books and publications have skyrocketed, which makes it difficult for many libraries to maintain the annual basic funds such as paper literature procurement, business training, scientific research and awards, and it is even more difficult to carry out the construction of digital libraries.
(4) The quality of librarians.
At present, the general situation of university librarians in China is that their professional knowledge and skills generally cannot meet the requirements of the development of digital libraries. With the rise of digital library, the practical problems such as lack of professional and technical personnel, low work enthusiasm and aging librarians are more prominent. Because the status of the library has never been paid enough attention, it seems that ordinary librarians and teachers in major universities are at two completely different levels and are treated completely differently, which makes the library rarely give priority when choosing a job. This is also an important reason why it has been difficult for university libraries to introduce high-quality talents, while on the other hand, noodle restaurant talents have jumped ship to find another job. It is difficult to improve the quality and professional level of librarians because of the lack of systematic and planned on-the-job learning and training for existing librarians. The outdated knowledge structure and concept can not meet the requirements of providing mathematical information resources services and can not be ignored.